ChaseYourShadow

i have a pencil board of this image, and i have to say, i much prefer this color scheme to the heavy use of orange in said board...

great job.

Wow! A yellow wallpaper that isn't blinding! I like it!

Nope, it's still not done yet, ladies and gents. Chapter 134 came out recently... I only have scans, no translations. But as I understand it, we're still at least a few chapters away.

If you're looking for scans, chapters, translations, there are resources to be found, if you look.

For scanlations, through Volume 21, check out The Spectrum Nexus's Fruits Basket section. This content rotates - you can't see all the chapters all at once. A little patience is all that's required, as the rotations happen pretty frequently. The quality is generally pretty good, but varies, as this website hosts scanlations from several different groups. (Note, Volume 21 includes Chapter 125. They're working on getting the rest as soon as possible.)

For translations, in a very rough sense of the word, check out Kagesai no Yume. You can find very literal translations of the dialogue, and pertinent sound effects. Really, this isn't going to do a great deal of good without scans to put the dialogue in context.

Speaking of scans... You can find an assortment of UNTRANSLATED scans of Chapters 120-122, and 127-134, right over here, at Rohans_Icons' Xanga page. (I don't have the translations of the dialogue, so don't ask me... Go to Kagesai (see above) for them.) She's current with the Japanese release. They're usually up within a few days of coming out in Hana to Yume . The scans aren't hard to get... Simply leave a comment on her xanga with a polite request and your email address, and she'll send you a read-only password for the Photobucket site she links to. That's where the scans are. (Not a Xanga user? Email or message me and I'll see if I can help you out.)

There you go. Check out these great websites, and all your questions about the newest plot developments and the most current chapters can be answered.

Enjoy the reading!

• Chase

Cute.

Finally saw Chapter 132. Absolutely beautiful. It's about time that Shigure's lady troubles got sorted out. And what a lovely lady she makes.

Does anyone know what that flower is that often accompanies Akito? The one on the back of Volume 15 - it's the same one Shigure has in the "I think of you more than anyone else..." flashback. Is it an actual flower, or something that Takaya made up to look pretty, but has no foundation in real botany?

Chase

Just a small reminder, guys... I've noticed at least one user post a copy of the summaries available via Kagesai no Yume. (The text posted here is identical to what's on that website.) There are statements all over her summaries requesting that people not copy them on websites and stuff. I understand y'all might want to spread the Furuba love around, so to speak, but I think we should try to respect people's hard work - the webmaster of that site sits down the chapters and a Japanese-to-English dictionary and does those translations.

If you wanna share them - and I admit, they're great - do the person the service of posting a link to their page. It's giving credit for hard work where it's due.

Kagesai no Yume - Fruits Basket Summary, Chapter 132

Be kind (rewind!) and site sources!

Chase

Ladies and Gents, I'm pleased to report that you can get all the Fruits Basket lovin' you can handle at The Spectrum Nexus. Fine webmaster has compiled large-sized, quality "scanlated" pages up through Book 21 - that's Chapter 125, in case you're wondering. Book 22 should follow some time in September.

Enjoy, y'all. I've loved this site since I found it a while ago...

Chase

Anyone seen the scans for chapter 131? Simply beautiful.

Chase

On the subject of unconventional relationships: among the series I'm into at the moment are Revolutionary Girl Utena ( Shojo Kakumei Utena ) and Angel Sanctuary. I swear, I'm not strange, even through a common theme in both of these is, eh-hem... incest.

I also see a general theme of gender-bending, gender-ambiguous characters, or gender role reversal in many series I like: Tenjou Utena in Utena; Sohma Ritsu and Sohma Akito in Fruits Basket; Count D in Pet Shop of Horrors; Kurai and Arachne in Angel Sanctuary; Koryu in Wish.

I also tend to get into series that involve shonen/shojo-ai, or at least peripheral homosexual characters, either implicitly or explicitly included in the plot. Cardcaptor Sakura, Legal Drug, and Utena again.

Chase

Some doujinshi are available online, while others can be picked up at conventions. While the online copies are nice, there's something satisfying about having the hardcopy in your hands. It's also nice to pick up untranslated doujinshi produced in Japan (via cons or the internet) and practice your reading skills in the original Japanese.

True, a lot of doujinshi are of the shonen/shojo-ai or yaoi/yuri variety. It's not some big conspiracy, mind you, just fans writing the kinds of stories they like. It's pretty much the same as the vast amount of same-sex or "slash" fanfiction out there. Seems to happen alot in series with bishonen characters that girls just adore (most doujinshika are women), especially if they don't care for the female characters or the series lacks strong central ones. (Examples that come to mind are Gundam Wing and the anti-Relena, pro-Heero/Duo and anti-Dorothy, pro-Trowa/Quatre sentiment; Fullmetal Alchemist Roy/Ed stories; and Death Note Raito(Light)/L doujinshi.) And not all of these are smut, either - some are just so goddamn cute and sugary and sweet that they nearly give you cavities!

Also, while there are some very poor-quality specimens of doujinshi, there are some consistently talented artists that are just magnificent. Nearly professional. As a matter of fact, CLAMP, the four-member titan of moden manga started out as a loosely-knit group of doujinshi artists. Eventually, they got so good that they decided to start their own stories, and publishers agreed to publish them.

Chase

While that sounds great in theory, you eventually reach a point where there isn't anything really left for the characters to do without repeating storylines or resorting to very corny or cliché plot points. (Like, "he's my brother!" or when the two main characters whose sexual tension the show relies on finally hop in bed....) Some people in television refer to this as "jumping the shark" - something that is either so ridiculous as to be unbelieveable or to disrupt the "world" of the plot, or that somehow resolved the primary conflict of the show/series.

These sorts of things are prone to happen in series where the entire plot hinges on star-crossed lovers, or sexual tension between two characters. Let's face it, if Honda Tohru (of Fruits Basket) had happily settled down with Sohma Yuki or Sohma Kyo in volume 6 of the manga, the proceding 16 volumes would be pretty damn boring! You can't keep a series going forever without resolving the conflict(s) that drive the plot, lest your readers eventually get bored and wander away, but once you've resolved those conflicts, what else is there left to talk about? (This is, in my personal opinion, why many sequels are simply dreadful - authors have trouble coming up with a new and different plot line that is as compelling as the original.)

There will always be series we wish had gone on a little longer - manga series like Legal Drug that were cut short for reasons outside the creators' control, or animated series like Fruits Basket and Kare Kano that were never really finished at all because their manga incarnations weren't completed. But let's face it, there's nothing better than an immensely satisfying, well-written ending to the journey our favorite characters have been on, whether it's 4 volumes, or 24.

Chase

Sorry, ~kagetasan, stoptazmo is the only source I know of for scans of 118. My sources only go up to 113, and then pick up again around 120...

Chase

and my fav chracter are ~ akito & shigure ~

Oooh! Oooh! Me too! Hoorah for Akki-chan and 'Gure-nii-san! I find them fascinating, individually and interacting with one another. Craziness.

It really is a shame that the anime doesn't finish in accordance with the manga. Akito's vague affliction at the end of the series felt like an easy end to the series and overly-simplified motivation for the character. Unfortunately, the way the last episode pans out, I don't think you could pick the series back up and finish it without seriously deviating from the plot of the manga, or resigning oneself to some minor inconsistencies, especially regarding Akki-chan's storyline. Still, it would be nice... there are certainly some scenes in the manga I would love-love-love to see animated!

Actually, about the existing 26 episodes of the show... I think there are certainly indications that Takaya had most of the plot pretty much figured out, and was looking to include the Shigure-Akito/Akki's-a-girl thing in the series. There are a few moments in the series where Akito and Shigure certainly have that tension between them... Something about the petulant look on Akki's face (directed at Shigure) during the whole Tohru-barfs-while-being-insulted-in-the-rain thing smacks of a defensive lover, not the unquestioned and all-powerful head of a household. Or maybe I'm just hallucinating.

Today I saw a car with a license plate that read "Kyo Kyo". One of my gas attendants is a fan!

Chase

Lovely. Red, without being obnoxious.

Chase

Wow!

Chapter 129 is not the last chapter. Chapter 130 is currently available via Hana to Yume. Scan and summaries can be found at various websites. If you want to read/see, and you're current, or don't mind the spoilers, open the spoiler box and check out the links:

Scans

Scroll down several entries, and you will find a link to Rohan's_Icon's read-only PhotoBucket account. She has Chapter 130 scans. (Note: You must get a password from her. Comment on her xanga and request one. Or, if you're not a Xanga user, PM me here on animepaper.)

Summary

A sketchy but serviceable summary of the dialogue and pertinent "stage directions". Just scroll down and click on "Chapter 130".

I would highly suggest using these together... The summary is good, but it doesn't do the moving scenes in this chapter justice! I actually kinda teared up! And the last two pages are simply beautiful.

So, it's what readers have been waiting for, pretty much from the beginning. But one wonders...

Now what?

Will Kyo and Tohru "stay together, always"? Will Yuki and Machi finally outgrow their social awkwardness? Will Shigure and Akito stop being mutual asses and forgive each other? So many questions!

(And on a side note... Oh, yeah, sure, now you can see Akito's bosom when she wears a yukata.

And isn't Mine-chan adorable?

Chase

While I love Yuko, it's nice to see a wallpaper that depicts something other than Yuko-as-a-sexpot. Interesting concept.

This is the fine art of vectoring that doesn't look like vectoring! You did a wonderful job. Lovely.

Lovely! The "curtains" work so well as to almost look original to the scan.

It's good. How good?

It's so good that I saved it... Even though I don't know a thing about the series it's from!

Chase

~Teru-teruMomiji - I have a Momiji-bunny-plushie, too. I was born in the year of the rabbit!

~cara410 - I read a very rough synopsis of Chapter 129, and got a peek at scans of the pages in Japanese. I got the same idea you did... Let's hope it's actually the case. Then again...

...I seem to remember Kureno, Momiji, and Hiro all indicating that they had a distinct, liberated feeling upon being freed. Perhaps Kyo was too busy being a sappy-love-boy to notice the (metaphorical) spiritual "poof" of freedom?

Chase

~ginnylin:

'Round about chapter 115, Shigure lets the cat out of the bag as to how the curse can be broken... Sort of. (Is anything a straight answer with Gure-nii?)

I think Shigure's reason for getting Tohru so involved in all this is because she acts like a catalyst for change. There's no doubt she's done much to improve the temperment of Kyo and Yuki, and she's helped many of the junior members of the juunishi as well. I'm inclined to think (and this is totally inference on my part - I can't point out any evidence of this in the manga) that Shigure hopes that the same healing and uplifting effect Tohru has on the juunishi, will work on Akki, too. As you read farther, there's little doubt that Akki is just as wounded and struggling as Kyo, or Yuki, or Kisa, though she may express it through meanness and temper tantrums.

As for Akki's motives... I think she has developed a deep-seated hate for most women. It's a resentment thing, perhaps? Tohru is so pleasant and naturally connects with people in a way that Akki doesn't. Kisa is sweet and adorable, and Akki doesn't have the luxury of feminine attributes. Rin is sexy and busty and charismatic, and Akki is considerably more androgynous. Actually, with short hair (and a smaller chest) Rin could easily pass as a double for Akki... and I'd imagine that probably provokes some jealousy and disdain on Akki's part.

Which carries us onto the topic of Ren. Let's face it... Ren is one hot MILF! She's everything Akki isn't... Long, flowing hair, big boobs, wild allure. I think Shigure knew perfectly well that it would be an especially great twist of the knife, so to speak, to hook up with someone who isn't just Akki's mother, but also her adversary and everything she probably would like to be, if she wasn't bound by the gender role she's been assigned.

Her aggression towards Tohru probably is a large dose of jealousy. As I said, she and Tohru couldn't be more different. And Akki probably is concerned that Tohru may very well steal Yuki (who Akki seems to have an especially strong - and unhealthy - possessiveness about) and Kyo and Shigure away from her. She clearly views the juunishi as her property, and the fact that Tohru's influence has fostered a sense of independence and self-identity in the various Sohmas is undoubtly displeasing for Akki.

Wow, I write a lot of "spoilers".

~Teru-teruMomiji - I love your name! - I've certainly noticed the improving quality of the art. By Vol 13 or 14, the style of design is so much more open, and flowing, and expressive. Really lovely. There are some pages in the manga that are just, well, heart-stopping, they're so beautiful!

Chase

Well, ~ginnylin...

...remember, not *everybody* slept with her. Just Kureno and Shigure. You've read up to 111, so you know there's no doubt that Shigure initiated his relationship with Akki-chan (...i like cute nick-names!). But I get the feeling that SHE started whatever went on between her and Kureno. And Takaya's done a good job of being pretty vague as to exactly what did happen. From what Shigure said, they must have actually slept together at least once, but there's not indication as to whether it's an on-going thing. All we've seen is Akito being very, very touchy-feely.

As for evil-ness-ness... I wouldn't say Shigure it evil, per se - more like desperate. He's more and more looking like someone who simply has a very clear goal in mind, and will do damn near anything to achieve it. I do think it was a little scabby to decide to get back at one's girlfriend by sleeping with her mother . I mean, that's just, well, mean .

Evil or not, I'd have to say that Shigure and Akito are among my top three Furuba characters. (With Hanajima being the third.) I like the weird ones.

I've been keeping up to date with the manga through a number of sources. I'm not real clear on AnimePaper's policy about posting links to websites with scanlations and the like - so I hope I'm not bucking for an administrative issue - but I'd be happy to direct you to a few places with pertinent information, if and when you decide to keep reading:

Spectrum Nexus has good scanlations, through the end of Volume 19 (or, Chapter 113). The quality of the dialogue (in terms of typos and the like) varies, as they host several scanlators' work, but it's a great resource. Not to mention that the scan quality, with a little cleaning up in Photoshop, or the like, makes for great wallpaper material!

Kagesai no Yume is a one-girl operation that include chapter summaries of Fruits Basket, as they're released in Hana to Yume. No pictures here, just dialogue and pertinent "stage notes". Not as fun as reading it the manga itself, but a great way to keep up to date. She updates within days of each chapter being released in Hana to Yume, so she's current. The quality of the translated dialogue isn't fabulous - she clearly isn't fluent - but it's serviceable. Currently hosts summaries for Chapters 104 to 129. Every time she adds a new chapter, she takes down the oldest one.

Memento's manga archive is good, albeit spotty. Not strict scanlations; rather, they're excellent summaries with pertinent scans. The author doesn't do every chapter, only ones they find personally interesting. This is actually a great resource in general, as they're following other great mangas, like Neon Genesis Evangelion, and various CLAMP enterprises. (I'd also highly advise exploring other parts of the blog - her anime series reviews are episode-by-episode, and include screencaps! I'm a fan of XXXholic.)

Rohan_Icon's Xanga site has links to scans of Chapters 120-121 and 127-129. They're still in Japanese, but the art is pretty, and used in conjunction with chapter summaries, they're clear enough. You have to get a read-only password to access her PhotoBucket account; comment on her Xanga to get it. (If you don't have a Xanga, message me here, and we'll talk.)

Hope this is a help, ~ginnylin... and anyone else out there who's as crazy for Furuba as I am!

Chase

...when the manga get's to the point of revealing Akito's secret. :3

*tee-hee* I can't wait! Can you imagine the reactions? Yuki might very well drop dead from shock... or is that revulsion?

Personally, I'd love to see a big fat Akki-Gure public display of affection... I've kind of lost interest in the Yuki-Tohru-Kyo conflict and just fixated on Akki-Gure.

Do you really think that Takaya can wrap the manga in two more chapters? I'm inclined to think that it'll spill over into one more graphic novel's worth of issues. Here's hoping that the manga doesn't end as abruptly as the show did!

Chase